Sunil Karanjikar makes Waves on A.R. Rahman tour
Published: ASIA
INDIA: Live systems and FOH engineer Sunil Karanjikar has opted for a setup comprising Waves Multirack and plugins on a Soundcraft Vi6 console during A.R. Rahman’s recent tour, which saw the Indian superstar perform around the world, including dates in his home country. The engineer also utilised a DiGiGrid MGO optical SoundGrid-to-Madi interface, a Waves SoundGrid Server One rackmount unit, along with a Waves MultiRack SoundGrid plugin host on a MacBook Pro.
‘The band has anywhere from 4 to 14 singers, and songs can be anything from ballads to rock,’ explained Mr Karanjikar. ‘I use Waves plugins mostly on vocals, bass guitar, mix groups and PA outputs. My standard vocal chain includes the Waves Renaissance Axx, followed by the Waves Q10 equaliser and then the Waves C6 multiband compressor. The C6 is one of the primary reasons that I use Waves, as it enables me to control the tone of the vocal when the singers change levels and singing styles.
‘I prefer using MultiRack as a standalone, since any changes required in the mix based on the venue are done in mix groups and main outs,’ Mr Karanjikar continued. ‘The console then runs independently recalling mix snapshots. I use the C6 on the main outs. It keeps the tone of the PA consistent by kicking in at higher volumes and compressing offending bands. I like to compress the 4-5kHz band on the main L/R feed at higher levels to make for comfortable listening. I also compress the 250Hz band at higher levels to keep the low end from building up.
For Mr Rahman’s vocals, Mr Karanjikar noted that he cuts through the mix, replacing the Renaissance Axx with the Waves CLA-76. Meanwhile, he reportedly uses the Waves dbx 160 for the bass guitar chain, which is side-chained to the kick drum and followed by Waves MaxxBass.
‘I started using Waves full-time in early April 2015,’ Mr Karanjikar concluded. ‘The plugins glue the voice to the mix without forcing me to drastically work the EQ. The group and mains inserts usually call for some expensive hardware and having to carry racks to an area of reduced FOH. The C6 has transformed the way I mix with its multiband compression. The ability to connect over the network using the DiGiGrid MGO interface is also very important, as it allows multiple computers to access the audio stream and provide redundant recording while also processing on a third computer.’